Off-road vehicles enjoy an enthusiastic following because of their many uses and versatility. As a result, several types of motorsports involve racing of various types of off-road vehicles. For example, competitions exist that are dedicated to various types of terrain, such as rally, desert racing, and rock-crawling. Besides their use in various motorsports, off-road vehicles commonly are used for sight-seeing and traveling to areas that may not be accessed by way of standard, paved roads.
The use of higher clearance, higher traction vehicles enables off-road vehicles to access trails and roads having rough, low traction surfaces that may not be traversed using a standard, on-road vehicle. As such, off-road vehicles typically comprise larger wheels, wider tires, and suspension configurations that are specifically engineered for use in off-road applications. As a consequence of such suspension configurations, as well as the rough terrain typically traversed, driver and passenger safety is a crucial concern. For example, drivers and passengers typically must be wear safety restraints during off-road travel. A wide variety of different types of safety harnesses are available for use with off-road vehicles.
Unlike on-road vehicles, such as passenger cars, off-road vehicles typically are open, often lacking windows, doors, and body panels common to passenger cars. A frame comprised of multiple structural members with attached doors are configured to protect the occupants in the event of a rollover situation. A drawback to the frames comprising many off-road vehicles is that arms and legs of the driver and passengers are free to extend outside the vehicle during rolling over, potentially leading to serious injuries. Given that off-road vehicles routinely travel over very rough terrain, such as mountainous regions, and are prone to tipping over, there is a desire to improve the safety, convenience, and comfort of off-road vehicles, while at the same improving the performance of such vehicles.